Politics

Charlotte’s NBC News affiliate reports: The RNC site selection committee has voted in favor of Charlotte hosting the 2020 RNC convention, sources tell NBC Charlotte. The entire RNC delegation will confirm their pick this Friday in Austin, Texas. On Monday, the Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 to accept contracts to host the Republican National Convention in 2020. When Charlotte formally …

NPR reports: A Russian woman charged this week with serving as a foreign agent was in regular contact with Russian intelligence, the Justice Department says, and she attempted to offer sex in exchange for a position with an organization she targeted. Prosecutors included that information in court documents as part of their request that Maria Butina be detained ahead of …

The Hill reports: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) said Wednesday that he “doesn’t care” if President Trump misspeaks — including about Russia. “He’s doing things that are a direct affront to Russia. I don’t care if he misspeaks or if he says the wrong thing,” Hunter said on “Fox & Friends.” “He has a different technique, that’s why I voted for …

Julia Davis writes for the Washington Post: Russian state media are hard at work, praising Putin’s strategy that is finally paying off. That is not surprising, as the state media in Russia are fully controlled by the government. Positions conveyed by the Kremlin’s bullhorns reflect only what is considered permissible by the state. On Russian state television, criticism of Putin …

CNBC reports: Former FBI director and long-time Republican supporter James Comey is urging American voters to support Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. Comey’s tweet comes as tensions continue to boil over in Washington, following President Donald Trump’s extraordinary press briefing alongside his Russian counterpart in Helsinki on Monday. Speaking next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump repeatedly rejected the …

The New York Daily News reports: Special counsel Robert Mueller is seeking immunity for five potential witnesses in the upcoming trial of President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Mueller’s office told a federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday that it was seeking to compel the witnesses to testify under condition of immunity. Prosecutors have not identified the witnesses and …

The New York Times reports: Dean G. Skelos, once one of the most powerful political figures in New York State, was found guilty of bribery, extortion and conspiracy on Tuesday, marking the fourth time in five months that a major federal case targeting corruption in Albany has ended in a conviction. The jury in Federal District Court in Manhattan deliberated …

The Associated Press reports: During every previous All-Star Game in Washington, the president was part of the story. That might not be the case this year. Trump’s anticipated absence Tuesday night would allow Nationals Park to perform its usual role for elected officials and other political figures: as a bipartisan oasis where differences are set aside while everyone frets about …

From the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal: Details from the private Trump-Putin talks in Helsinki will spill out in coming days, but Monday’s joint press conference was a personal and national embarrassment. On stage with the dictator whose election meddling has done so much harm to his Presidency, Mr. Trump couldn’t even bring himself to say he believed …

CNN reports: House Speaker Paul Ryan, answering questions at the House GOP’s weekly press conference, said that while he did not believe President Trump’s actions alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin arose to treason as alleged by former CIA chief John Brennan (“I do not,” he said), said he clearly believes “Russia did meddle with our elections.” “Russia is trying to …

The Associated Press reports: Former U.S. President Barack Obama in his first high-profile speech since leaving office is calling today’s times “strange and uncertain.” Obama opened his speech in South Africa by saying that “each day’s news cycle is bringing more head-spinning and disturbing headlines.” He is speaking in South Africa to mark the 100th anniversary of  Nelson Mandela’s birth. …

“What Mr. Trump did yesterday was to betray the women and men of the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and others and to betray the American public. And that’s why I use the term that this was nothing short of treasonous. Because it is a betrayal of the nation. He’s giving aid and comfort to the enemy. It needs to …

From the editors of the Weekly Standard: Already some Republicans, and not just his usual critics, have either distanced themselves from Trump’s remarks or straightforwardly rebuked the president—House Speaker Paul Ryan, Rep. Liz Cheney, Rep. Peter Roskam, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Lindsey Graham, among others. Only one president in history, Andrew Jackson, has ever been censured by Congress, …

The Daily Beast reports: After President Donald Trump refused to confront Vladimir Putin over Russia’s direct interference in the 2016 U.S. election, Fox News host Chris Wallace decided to do it for him. In an “exclusive” interview with the Russian president that followed his private meeting with Trump and their shocking joint press conference, Wallace literally held up Special Counsel …

CNN reports: Hillary Clinton took aim at President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling into question her former presidential campaign rival’s loyalties just hours after he tweeted a congratulations to the hosts of the World Cup. Clinton followed up on her jab at the President on Monday evening following the summit, when she wrote: “Well, now …

Just in via press release from Sen. John McCain: Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake. President Trump …

“There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, …

The New York Daily News reports: The real estate company formerly headed by Jared Kushner exposed children to cancer-causing substances as part of a campaign to push rent-stabilized tenants out of their apartments, said a lawsuit filed by a group of renters. Nineteen tenants of 18 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, contend that Kushner Cos. tried to convert the majority …

Mediaite reports: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said he thinks it’s “likely” that “something close” to a video tape of President Donald Trump urinating on prostitutes is real. Merkley made the wild claim in an interview with Buzzfeed editor in chief Ben Smith, who asked the senator about Trump’s warm words for Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It’s standard strategy of Russia,” …

Here’s how the meeting got started earlier today: Putin struck a casual pose during Trump’s remarks, slouching in his chair with his legs wide and eyes low. He nodded along to some of Trump’s remarks before they were translated, showcasing his fluency in English. Trump leaned forward in his chair, his hands tented in front of him and frequently glancing …